At last weekend's annual Conservation Celebration held by the Strafford Rivers Conservancy, the Ashton Hallett Conservation Award was given to Cynthia Wyatt, managing trustee of the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust/Branch Hill Farm and current vice chair of Moose Mountains Regional Greenways.

The Ashton Hallett Conservation Award was established by the Strafford Rivers Conservancy in 2008 to honor the conservation legacy of Ashton Hallett, who helped found the conservancy as a land trust in Strafford and southern Carroll counties. Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit land conservation organization serving Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield and Wolfeboro.

In addition to sharing celebratory moments such as this occasion, the Strafford Rivers Conservancy and Moose Mountains Regional Greenways have been frequent partners on conservation projects and co-sponsors of outreach events.

In his award presentation to Wyatt, Strafford Rivers Conservancy President Kevin McEneaney spoke of two important motivators of Wyatt's devotion to the cause of conservation: her childhood distress at seeing the polluted waters of the Naugatuck River and the lifelong influence of her father, Carl Siemon, award winning tree farmer and conservationist.

McEneaney praised Wyatt's volunteer efforts which continue to inspire others to also work to conserve New Hampshire's natural resources. After reviving the Milton Town Conservation Commission, she has served as its chair for the past 10 years and she was founder and first chair of the board of Moose Mountains Regional Greenways.

In accepting the prize, Wyatt reflected on how she has “learned to love the beautiful state of New Hampshire”, having moved her family from Connecticut to Milton Mills at her father's request that she help manage Branch Hill Farm. Comparing the hard physical work of harvesting the farm's hayfields to the grass roots work of protecting our natural resources in perpetuity, she commented, “Conservation work is almost as hard as haying, but every single moment is worth the everlasting prize in the end!”